SOUMITRA Chatterjee tested positive for Covid-19

Dada Saheb Phalke winner and veteran actor Soumita Chattopadhyay, 85, has been hospitalized following testing positive for Covid-19. His family confirms that the actor was unwell for some days following which a Covid-19 test was done. His test reports came back positive on the morning of 6 October. He debuted in Apur Sansar directed by Oscar-winning film maker Satyajit Roy in 1959. Chattopadhyay is known for his award-winning work, including his collaborations with director Satyajit Ray. Some of his best-known works include the “Feluda” series, “Charulata”, “Apu’r Shangshar”, “Aranyer Din Raatri”, “Ghare Baire” and “Shakha Proshakha”.Chattopadhyay reportedly resumed shooting a few days ago. Earlier Bengali actor Ranjit Mullick, his wife, his daughter, actor Koel Mullick, and her husband had contracted the virus. Bengali film director Raj Chakraborty had also tested positive for the same, but has since recovered. Chattopadhyay, a cancer survivor,  is reportedly stable, with mild fever. He had returned to shooting after the studios reopened and was working on a documentary about his own life. He was apparently feeling unwell for a few days prior to his testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. A three-member medical board has been set up to monitor Soumita Chatterjee’s condition at the Belle Vue Nursing Home in Kolkata  where he is admitted. Considered one of the biggest stars in Bengali cinema and theatre, Soumitra received worldwide fame for his work in Satyajit Ray’s films (Soumitra had starred in 14 of Ray’s movies).  In 2012, he was given the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and in 2018, he was honoured by the government of France with the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur – the highest civilian award in France. Twenty-nine years earlier, on February 2, 1989, Satyajit Ray was also conferred the prestigious award.  This year, seven of his films have been released. According to reports, he just finished shooting another film before contracting COVID. Soumitra’s genius is not confined to the screen and stage. . He has published several volumes of poetry that have been critically acclaimed and have also dabbled in painting. As news of his illness came out, millions of distraught fans across the country and abroad expressed their concern on social media and wished him a speedy recovery.